Welcome to Frankfurt! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel.

Dinner

DAY 2 Frankfurt–Rothenburg–Munich

Drive along the Romantic Road to medieval Rothenburg—a picturesque, medieval walled town that is famous for Christmas ornaments. Continue to Munich, Bavaria’s proud capital.

Breakfast

DAY 3 Munich

Sightseeing with a Local Guide of Germany’s “Secret Capital” features the Olympic Stadium, built for the 1972 Olympics; the 1,000-foot-high Olympic Tower; and Königsplatz, used for Nazi rallies during World War II. Drive along the Ludwigstrasse, and see the Bavarian Arch of Triumph and Field Marshall Hall. Also visit lively MARIENPLATZ with the Old and the New Town Halls and the gothic Frauenkirche. An optional excursion is available to romantic Linderhof Castle, built by King Ludwig II, and the famous Passion Play village of Oberammergau.BreakfastDinner

DAY 4 Munich–Salzburg, Austria–Vienna

Arrive in Salzburg, where your walking tour with a Local Guide includes the historic center. Admire MIRABELL GARDENS, the Great Festival Hall, St. Peter’s Monastery, and magnificent RESIDENZ SQUARE, where some scenes of The Sound of Music movie were filmed. Then, continue through the scenic Salzkammergut Lakeland and along the Danube River to Vienna, once the center of the mighty Habsburg Empire. Tonight, you may wish to try out local specialties and Viennese entertainment.

Breakfast

DAY 5 Vienna

Guided sightseeing features vistas of Prater park with its giant Ferris wheel, then drive along the Ringstrasse, pass the State Opera House, the Jewish quarter, and stop at the Hofburg Palace, winter residence of the Austrian imperial family. Marvel at the impressive courtyards, famous HELDENPLATZ, and awesome St. Stephen’s Cathedral. For those who wish to “see it all,” there is a chance to join an interesting optional excursion to Bratislava, capital of Slovakia.

Breakfast

DAY 6 Vienna–Piber–Villach

Start this morning with a visit to magnificent SCHÖNBRUNN PALACE. Leave Vienna and enter Styria. [Lark Tours Local Favorite] [Globus Local Favorite] Enjoy a special visit to the world-famous LIPIZZANER STALLION STUD FARM in Piber, the place where these magnificent horses are bred and raised before they go to the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. Stay overnight in Villach.BreakfastDinner

DAY 7 Villach–Italian Dolomites, Italy–Innsbruck, Austria

Cross the Italian border and arrive in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the Olympic skiing resort in the Dolomites, the Italian “Rocky Mountains.” Then, via Tre Croci Pass and Lake Misurina to Brunico and across Brenner Pass to Innsbruck in the Tyrolean Alps. Stroll through its medieval lanes to Emperor Maximilian’s GOLDEN ROOF. Why not join an optional Tyrolean song-and-dance show?

Descend towards Italy’s Lake Como and continue on to the southern tip of Switzerland to the resort town of Lugano, with time for an espresso on Piazza Riforma and a refreshing walk in the shade of Parco Ciani’s magnificent old trees. Tonight, a special treat: [Lark Tours Local Favorite] [Globus Local Favorite] enjoy a BOAT CRUISE across the sparkling lake and dinner with wine at the traditional “grotto” Roccabella restaurant.BreakfastDinner

DAY 10 Lugano–Lake Maggiore, Italy–Zermatt, Switzerland

From Lake Lugano to Lake Maggiore for a break in elegant Stresa. An optional boat ride to enchanting Isola Bella can be arranged. Across lofty Simplon Pass into the Swiss Valais, an area renowned for its great mountain resorts. In Täsch, board a MOUNTAIN TRAIN to climb the last few miles up to Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustic chalets beneath the Matterhorn.BreakfastDinner

DAY 11 At Leisure in Zermatt

Today is your chance to enjoy exciting optionals: to 10,272-foot Gornergrat Mountain with Europe’s highest rack railway and to the Klein Matterhorn, for spectacular views of the Matterhorn and the surrounding Alps.

Breakfast

DAY 12 Zermatt–Berne–Interlaken–Lucerne

Through the vineyards and apricot groves of the lower Rhône Valley to Lake Geneva and via the dairy country of Gruyère to the Swiss capital, Berne. See the monumental Federal Palace during your orientation and stop at the BEAR PARK before continuing via Interlaken, a Bernese Oberland resort beneath the towering Jungfrau, and across Brünig Pass to Lucerne. Tonight, an optional Swiss dinner party with yodeling and alphorn blowing is available.

Breakfast

DAY 13 Lucerne

On your walking tour, admire Thorwaldsen’s impressive LION MONUMENT and ornate patrician houses of the walled Old Town, then cross the famous CHAPEL BRIDGE to the Jesuit church. Afterwards, shop for Swiss watches and maybe join an exciting optional excursion to Mount Pilatus.BreakfastDinner

DAY 14 Lucerne–Rhine Falls–Black Forest–Frankfurt, Germany

On the way back to Germany, visit thundering RHINE FALLS at Schaffhausen. Enter the pine-clad hills of the Black Forest, renowned for its cuckoo clocks, and enjoy a WOODCARVING DEMONSTRATION on your way to Frankfurt. Tonight, [Lark Tours Local Favorite] [Globus Local Favorite] a special farewell dinner with wine at Schwarzer Stern restaurant awaits you to celebrate the success of your Alpine vacation.BreakfastDinner

On this Germany, Austria, and Switzerland tour, be prepared for breathtaking views! Your vacation starts and ends in Frankfurt and includes overnights also in Munich, Vienna, Villach, Innsbruck, St. Moritz, Lugano, Zermatt, and Lucerne. Along the way, guided sightseeing and walking tours in many of the cities include the must-see attractions, including Marienplatz in Munich, with the Old and New Town Halls; Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg; Rothenburg, a picturesque, medieval walled town; Vienna's Heldenplatz; Innsbruck’s Golden Roof, the balcony built for Emperor Maximilian in the early 15th century; and the Lion Monument in Lucerne, built to honor the Swiss Guards killed during the French Revolution.

The stunning scenery you'll see includes a drive along Germany's Romantic Road, with its old-world charm, picturesque villages, and scenic countryside; the scenic Salzkammergut Lakeland in Austria, made famous in the movie Sound of Music; Cortina d'Ampezzo, home of the 1956 Olympics in the Italian Dolomites, the Italian "Rocky Mountains;" the Tyrolean Alps; the Swiss Engadine, considered by some to be the most beautiful mountain area in the world with deep-blue lakes, mountain peaks exceeding 12,000 feet, and quaint villages with massive white stone houses; beautiful Lake Como and Lake Maggiore in Italy; Zermatt, a picturesque cluster of rustics chalets beneath the Matterhorn; Switzerland’s Rhine Falls, Europe's largest waterfall; and more.

On this Germany, Austria, and Switzerland tour, Lark Tours has arranged some out-of-the-ordinary experiences for you. You'll visit the world-famous Lipizzaner Stallion Stud Farm in Austria, the place where these magnificent horses are bred and raised before they go to the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. You'll also enjoy a boat cruise across sparkling Lake Lugano in Switzerland.